Consumers can now access to a large number of television programs over an increasing number of television channels. Set-top boxes such as cable television receivers, satellite television receivers, and internet television receivers are becoming more popular because they provide certain advantages that were not previously available. Set-top boxes, for example, can allow users to digitally record programming content such as television programs, lock certain channels from being accessed without permission, view electronic program guide data, and/or set personal preferences that control how the program guide data and/or programming content is presented to the user.
It is becoming increasingly common for users to have set-top boxes in many different rooms of a house. Each of the set-top boxes can be independently controlled to play different programs. While some television networks allow only one-way communications from the back office to set-top boxes, it is becoming more common for television networks to allow bi-direction communications between the back office and set-top boxes. With two-way communication capabilities, a user may be able to operate one set-top box to control the functions of another set-top box via communications between the set-top boxes through the back office.
It is desirable to improve the user's ability to control all set-top boxes that are registered to the user, including enabling a user to operate a single remote control device anywhere in the user's house to control each of the set-top boxes and to do so irrespective of whether the television network allows one-way or bi-directional communications between the back office and the set-top boxes.